paper tag nation

Paper license tags eliminated in Texas. Deadline approaches to move to metal temp tags

No temporary paper license tags will be issued after July 1, as the state moves to replace paper with metal temporary tags.

By Scott Friedman, Eva Parks, Edward Ayala and Frank Heinz • •

온라인카지노사이트 Universal, Inc.

On July 1, Texas drivers will see a massive change with temporary license plates after the Texas legislature voted to eliminate paper tags.

온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates began a series of award-winning reports in 2022, uncovering how fraudulent paper license tags had become a tool for criminals to conceal their identities and evade police.

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The paper trail ends this summer, bringing cheers from many in law enforcement and questions from drivers about what will happen next.

Grand Prairie Chief of Police Daniel Scesney, left, talks with 온라인카지노사이트 5 senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman about the state of Texas transitioning from paper temporary license plates to metal.
Edward Ayala, 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates
Edward Ayala, 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates
Grand Prairie Chief of Police Daniel Scesney, left, talks with 온라인카지노사이트 5 senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman about the state of Texas's transition from paper temporary license plates to metal plates.

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There aren't many cities where police look forward to the end of paper tags more than in Grand Prairie. Police Chief Daniel Scesney has battled to rid the streets of paper tags ever since the November 2022 death of police officer Brandon Tsai, who was killed in a crash pursuing a driver with a fraudulent paper tag.

Scesney said the state's move away from temporary paper tags will be a "game changer" for law enforcement.

"Presently, our officers are taking fake paper tags off the street every day," Scesney said. "The tag that was on the vehicle he [Tsai] was chasing was also scanned on over 200 other vehicles."

Grand Prairie police officer Brandon Tsai was killed in a crash during a pursuit with a driver whose vehicle had a paper license tag.
온라인카지노사이트 5 News
온라인카지노사이트 5 News
Grand Prairie police officer Brandon Tsai was killed in a crash during a pursuit with a driver whose vehicle had a paper license tag.

More than three years ago, 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates showed how fraudulent paper tags had become a multi-million-dollar black market industry.

In our first report, we flew over what was, on paper, the "biggest" car dealer in North Texas. From our helicopter, we found a vacant lot with no cars. Someone using the address obtained a car dealer's license and issued more than 17,000 paper tags in only eight months—more than any brand-name dealer in North Texas.

Sgt. Joe Escribano, a license plate fraud investigator with the Precinct 3 Travis County Constable's Office, told us in November 2022, "There's no way, absolutely no way, you know? I mean, there's just no way you can't get 17,000 cars there."

Law enforcement experts told 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates the problem was that anyone could get a dealer's license for just a few hundred dollars, often with no in-person background check. License holders could then access the state's electronic tag system, enter fake information, and print real Texas paper tags. The tags were then sold illegally on social media.

Those bogus tags were sometimes put on cars used to commit other crimes, creating "ghost cars" that were harder for police to track.

"This is something that has been a tidal wave of an issue of criminals, organized crime, human traffickers, violent offenders, using these paper tags as a criminal instrument," Scesney said.

온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates documented how fraudulent tags were involved in drive-by shootings and even in smuggling operations along the U.S.-Mexico border.

As we reported on the issue, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles made leadership changes, implemented stricter background checks on license holders, and shut down so-called dealers suspected of illegally selling temporary tags.

온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates
온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates

The state legislature then passed a law that went into effect on July 1, eliminating paper tags. In the meantime, other fakes have continued to appear. These tags are pure counterfeits, not registered in the state system but easily recreated given their simple design.

When the state stops issuing paper tags on July 1, the last legitimate temporary paper tags will expire within 60 days, and police won't have to look hard to spot a problem.

"Now it'll be very easy because you won't have to differentiate which is a legitimate paper tag and which one is nefarious. You'll know immediately. If it's paper, it's out," Scesney said.

In July, most car buyers will receive a permanent metal plate directly from the dealer when they purchase a car. The state is also creating several new types of temporary metal tags for dealers if they don't have a regular plate in stock, need a plate for a test drive, or sell a car to an out-of-state buyer.

Law enforcement officials acknowledge that even metal plates aren't fraud-proof.

"Yes, there will be fake metal tags, but the volume of fake metal tags is gonna be so much lower than what we're seeing in paper," Scesney said. "There's no comparison."

Fake metal tags are harder to recreate and sell than paper tags, which can be emailed to a buyer and printed out.

"This is good for cops. This is good for Texans. Crime is gonna come down as a result of this law," Scesney said.

Investigators said sellers duped some people who bought fake paper tags online into believing it was legal to purchase tags online. In some cases, they said unscrupulous car dealers fraudulently used paper tags to sell vehicles that wouldn't qualify for a legitimate plate due to title problems.

Grand Prairie Chief of Police Daniel Scesney talks with 온라인카지노사이트 5 senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman (not pictured) about the state of Texas transitioning from paper temporary license plates to metal.
Edward Ayala, 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates
Edward Ayala, 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates
Grand Prairie Chief of Police Daniel Scesney talks with 온라인카지노사이트 5 senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman (not pictured) about the state of Texas's transition from paper temporary license plates to metal plates.

For drivers in those situations, police warn vehicle owners to work to register their vehicles legitimately to avoid a ticket.

For residents selling a used car after July 1, the metal tag on the vehicle would stay with the car when it's sold, and paperwork needs to be completed to transfer the plate to the new owner. People with vanity plates would be exempted from the transfer rule. The state legislature is also currently considering a bill that would allow people who are selling their own car to keep their old plates instead, and the seller could then transfer them to another vehicle.

On Tuesday, we'll continue this report and let Texans know what they need to know to protect themselves in a private party sale and what car dealers say about whether they'll be ready to transition to metal tags on day one.

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